Depleted Highway Men slip up at Consett

Unbeaten in the league since mid November, The Highway Men travelled to Consent with a squad severely depleted by injury and illness.

Consett started brightly and after rattling the crossbar. Debutant goalkeeper Niall Harrison, a recent signing from Blyth Spartans, made a couple of smart saves to keep the score at 0-0.

The Highway Men started to dominate play in midfield and, on the half-hour, Shaun Henderson’s deep cross from the right found Sean Taylor who gave Morpeth the lead with an unmarked header. Sean Taylor then almost doubled the lead, but his cross-shot cannoned back into play off the crossbar.

In the second half, Consett took control.

Josh Gray levelled with a strike from just outside the box, then Consett took the lead when Adam Nicholls and Michael Mackay combined to give Luke Sullivan a chance to score from a few yards.

They made it 3-1 when Danny Craggs played a one-two and fired home, then Sullivan scored his second after the keeper could only parry another Gray shot.

Michael Mackay ran through and scored the fifth.

Morpeth manager Nick Gray said: “It was a game of two halves really. We were really good in the first half and really bad in the second.”